Air pollution causing "warming hole" over the US

Temperatures are increasing on a global scale. But in the central and eastern United States warming has not kept pace with other parts of the world over much of the last century.

Parts of the United States cooled between 1930 and 1990. Climate scientists have taken to calling the large area of cooling a “warming hole” because the areas surrounding it have warmed at a faster rate. As shown in this map bellow, which is based on data from NASA’s Surface Temperature Analysis (GISTEMP), areas of the greatest cooling are blue; those that warmed are red.

The right cause of "warming hole" over US have puzzled researchers for more than a decade. Some researchers suggested natural variations in sea surface temperatures might be responsible, but a new study puts the focus on sulfates, a type of aerosol produced by coal power plants that’s known for causing acid rain. Sulfates are light-colored, and they cause cooling by scattering and reflecting sunlight. They also lower temperatures indirectly by making clouds more reflective and long-lasting.

The researchers, led by Eric Leibensperger of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, used global climate models to estimate the cooling effect sulfates have had on the climate of the United States since 1950. As seen in the map bellow, they found that between 1970 and 1990—the period when sulfates were at their highest levels—average temperatures were nearly 1°Celsius (1.8°Fahrenheit) cooler in a core area centered on Arkansas and Missouri and about 0.7°Celsius cooler in a larger tear-drop region throughout the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. The cooling effect extended into the North Atlantic Ocean as well; sulfate pollution lowered sea surface temperatures there by 0.3°Celsius.

Research also shows that the cooling effect from sulfates is diminishing. According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, the amount of sulfur dioxide (a precursor to sulfates) released into the atmosphere fell by 58 % between 1980 and 2010. Satellites have confirmed the decrease; the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aqua satellite observed a sharp decline in sulfates over the eastern United States between 2005 and 2010.

As a response to the declining sulfate levels, Leibensperger’s modeling shows temperatures over the central and eastern United States have increased by 0.3°Celsius between 1980 and 2010. According to research, sulfate concentrations have declined so much already that the impact of future decreases won't be nearly as substantial. (EarthObservatory)

Author:

Chillymanjaro

One of the founding fathers of The Watchers. Researcher and editor of The Watchers.

Share:

Comments

Joerg Klaemt 8 years ago

All Valid excuses but has anyone ever considered HAARP?
No need to show any Links as they can be Googled.

Justin C 8 years ago

Given the large release of methane from melting glaciers and warmer oceans producing more CO2 the idea pollution is doing this is almost laughable. Don't forget the huge amount of solar radiation in the atmosphere from fukashima. This is a result of many elements coming together that will do a lot more than just make it hotter in the US. It could be the end of life as we know it unless someone comes up with some solutions in the very near future. I love it how they always try to blame the problem on humans i.e. driving an suv to make us feel guilty. These problems are both natural and created by the elite scum to carry out a specific and unimaginable end game. But yeah it's probably from Global Warming or something like that...just ask Al Gore.

Denise (@Justin C) 8 years ago

I agree with Justin C. Their excuses are always transparent if you look close enough and use half a brain, but the elite scum think we are all morons, and that we are all so involved in our lives, and activity, and TV, travel, going out to restaurants, the movies, the football games......DISTRACTIONS, are what these scum bags think will keep us from knowing the truth! There is so much radiation blowing around with the air, carrying it everywhere and people have died in other parts of the world because of this but we ar hearing nothing, because they are simply concluding cancer! Keep an eye on disease increase and especially cancer over the next couple of years, if we all live that long. A news station put out the fact that 250 flight attendants have come down witha mystery illness, losing hair, skin lesions and nausea/vomiting, well suprise these are symptoms to radiation exposure, not their uniforms. GLobal warming may or may not be, either way it is caused by pollution, chemicals, barium and aluminum in the air mixed with radiation, and let's not forget all of the radiation and man-made parts orbiting the earth, that governments have created and ignored, again thinking we know nothing about it! So may people are sick today and it is not coincidence IT IS INTENTIONAL!! There are so many players, not just the elite, there are so many people who will do anything for the right price so like the US government, they use other people to do their dirty work....these people are jsut as bad if not worse that the elite, because they have sold their soul and will be judged when that day is here and it won't be too much longer. For those of you who believe in a man-made religion rather than GOD and his church IN HEAVEN (not on earth-imposters of GOD's church), learn that God is in your heart and not any of these man-made churches on this earth, they are keeping you from the real GOD. As for al gore, he's an idiot making billions off of this so-called fake global warming, but he is one of the evils of the world, reeping rewards off of fear mongering,and he will be judged and thrown into the lake of fire with most politicians on all levels and their dirty little workers!

The atmosphere is a highly complex environment and our temperatures react to solar activities as does the moon and oceans. This is not say pollution is not affecting anything, it should always figure into the equation. The answer is not so easy. In my opinion, the ozone breakdown is serious and the harmful effects on the human race substantial. Maybe that should be 'Warming Hole(s)'

Latest articles

ESA's Solar Orbiter spacecraft passed through the ion tail of Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) on May 31 and June 1, 2020, and through its dust tail on June 6. This is the 7th space mission to fly through the tail of a comet, and the first one whose upcoming crossing was...

The center of Tropical Storm "Cristobal" will move northward over the central Gulf of Mexico today and tonight (LT), and will be near the northern Gulf of Mexico coast on Sunday, June 7, 2020. Its center is forecast to move inland across Louisiana late...

The unprecedented threat of desert locust to food security and livelihoods continues in the Horn of Africa and it is also very likely to spread to southwest Asia and perhaps West Africa, according to a situation update by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization...

Farmers in Northern Ireland are facing the worst drought since 1976. It came after an unusually dry spell and the sunniest spring ever, with records dating back to 1929. Allan Chambers, a member of the UFU's Seeds and Cereals Committee, said the lack of rainfall...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency in Norilsk, Siberia, on June 4, 2020, following a 20 000 tonne-oil spill in the Arctic Circle. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) described the disaster as the second largest in modern Russian history...

Severe Cyclonic Storm "Nisarga" caused extensive damage and killed four people after it made historic landfall over Maharashtra on June 3, 2020. Meanwhile, the financial capital Mumbai was spared as the storm changed its course. The India Meteorological...

The hypoxic area or "dead zone"-- an area of reduced oxygen level which kills marine life-- in the Gulf of Mexico is forecast to be approximately 10 800 square km (6 700 square miles) larger than the long-term average of about 8 700 square km (5 400 square...

Severe thunderstorms ripped through parts of mid-Atlantic on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, leaving at least three people dead and more than half a million people without power. On Thursday morning, June 4, the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed the event was a...

A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.4 hit off the coast of Halmahera, Indonesia at 08:49 UTC (17:49 LT) on June 4, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 106.9 km (66 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.4 at a depth of 105 km (65 miles). The epicenter was...

Steamboat Geyser in Wyoming is the world's tallest active geyser, which sometimes blasts water over 90 m (300 feet) into the air. At times, the geyser stays quiet for years then abruptly bursts back to life-- a behavior that has been puzzling scientists. A new...

New activity/unrest was reported for 3 volcanoes from May 27 to June 2, 2020. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 13 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Cleveland, Chuginadak Island (USA) | Ijen, Eastern Java (Indonesia) | Karymsky, Eastern...

Autumn 2020 in New South Wales, Australia, was the state's coldest and wettest since 2012, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) confirmed in a seasonal climate summary issued on June 1, 2020. Daytime temperatures were below to very much below average for NSW, except...

Up to 86 714 lightning strikes were recorded in the entire Washington state, U.S., on Saturday, May 30, 2020-- about 62 percent of the state's yearly lightning average. It occurred during a severe weather event described by the National Weather Service (NWS) as...

A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.8 hit Antofagasta, Chile at 07:35 UTC (03:35 UTC) on June 3, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 96 km (59 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.8 at a depth of 87 km (54 miles) The epicenter was located 48.2 km (29.9...

Severe Cyclonic Storm "Nisarga" made historic landfall over Maharashtra, India just south of Alibagh at 07:30 UTC on June 3, 2020, with maximum sustained wind speeds up to 110 km/h (70 mph) and gusts to 120 km/h (75 mph). The landfall process will be...

A devastating hailstorm lashed parts of northern Portugal on Sunday, May 31, 2020, causing more than 20 million dollars' worth of damage to this year's fruit harvest. Areas in the north, including around Viseu and Fundao, Castelo Branco, Belmonte, Covilha,...

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."